Lisa Erickson is known as "the talker" of the Grommesh siblings.
On Wednesday afternoon, Bill Grommesh’s four brothers and his sister along with nieces and nephews donned blue shirts and watched the progress on he and Adair’s new home.
The family gathered near the construction site to share stories, laughs and finish each other’s sentences. They talked about being able to watch Bill, Adair, Peighton and Garrett get ambushed by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and now, as the family is in the Bahamas on vacation, while their relatives sit in the VIP tent, watching the fast-paced construction process.
Gary Grommesh looks at his sister, “We share everything,” he says with a smirk as he reaches for her water bottle and takes a sip.
Lisa Erickson doesn’t miss a beat.
“I’ve had a really bad cold,” Lisa says, holding a straight face just for a moment before bursting in to laughter.
The family loves feeling the energy and love surrounding their relatives but is looking forward to getting Bill and Adair back into the stride of everyday life, away from crowds and cameras. Ralph Grommesh is looking forward to what’s going to come about for Hope Inc.
“Some of the best time of your life is when you’re out playing sports with your friends, and Hope helps kids do that,” Ralph says.
While their smiles became a less pronounced, the tone in the area softens as the Grommesh siblings talked about losing their father in mid-August. They referred to him as “The Big Guy” as they talk about the loss the family suffered just two months ago.
This blessing of a new home is something that has lifted up the entire family. They’re looking forward to Christmas at Bill and Adair’s new home and Lisa quickly points out that before Adair left for the Bahamas, she promised to have Christmas at the family’s new home.
They look across to the new home and watch workers installing windows and shingling the roof in warm October sunshine. They looked around the VIP tent, surrounded by comfortable furniture, beverages and snacks.
“It’s probably the only time in our lives we will be in VIP,” Lisa jokes and then pauses.
“Oh,” she says in laughter, “if they only knew the Grommeshes.”